Da Vinci’s ‘male Mona Lisa’ is up for grabs

For nothing less than $100 million, that too

If you’re sick of peering over a hundred tourists and their smartphones for a glimpse of Mona Lisa at the Louvre, here’s a pleasant (yet pricey) respite. For a minimum of $100 million, you can now own Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, a 500-year old haunting portrait of Jesus Christ holding a glass orb—often dubbed the ‘male Mona Lisa’ for its similarities with the iconic painting.

Described as “a painting of the most iconic figure in the world by the most important artist of all time,” Salvator Mundi or “savior of the world” will be auctioned as part of Christie’s ‘Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale’ on 15 November in New York. Thereafter, the painting—among less than 20 surviving works of da Vinci today—will become the only one to be privately owned in the world.

Much like the mysterious profile of the artist himself, the painting comes with its own set of secrets. After gracing the royal collection of King Charles I in the 17th century, it disappeared from public memory until the 1900s when it emerged after being painted over. The difference was so stark that the painting was mistaken for a copy and fetched only £45 at that time. After resurfacing in 2005, six years of research went into establishing its authenticity.

Why auction, you ask? It is believed that no museum can pay the price the painting is worth at the moment. But in case you manage to purchase it, you can always build one around it.